numerous pilgrims to Canterbury, he classes divers tradesmen in these words: "An Haberdasher, and a Carpenter, Of a solempne and grete fraternite. To sitten in a gild halle, on the deis."¶ The knives, here mentioned, were, doubtlessly, whittles; and I should infer from the purview of this passage, that they were suspended from the girdles. As the higher classes wore the anelace, here we have the substantial tradesman bedecked with the ornamental whittle, and to such men have I, previously, applied the term of "lower ranks," as I should much doubt, whether the "Shefeld thwitel" was, from its value, accessible, generally, to the lowest order. As I have said, it is my belief, that the equally sharp-edged, and pointed, anelace, and whittle, was used by the wearer in the joint capacity of knife and fork; I feel, that you will consider me in duty bound to assign my reasons for an assertion, at first sight, to you, gentle reader, "passing strange," and in assigning those reasons, connected as they are with the A maker of tapestry. § Furnished with chapes or tips. ¶ Raised floor for the high table. * Weaver. ↑ Spruce. || Part. subject before me, I do consider myself as clear from the charge of unnecessary digression. Knives were of early origin. It appears, from authentic testimonies cited by Fosbroke, in his "Encyclopædia of Antiquities," that knives were in use amongst the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Saxons, and Normans, to which I may add, that they have been found in the sepulchral tumuli of the Aborigines of this neighbourhood, yet I have every reason to believe, that they were, comparatively, rare; and generally, in the earlier ages, suspended from the girdle; and, as well as many other articles of hardware, imported, since, in the Act of the first of Richard, the Third, 1483, restraining of importation for the encouragement of the home manufacture, knives are included amongst the many interdicted articles. Thus from their rarity it becomes probable, that the anelace and the whittle were borne personally by each individual for his use at meals; and this presumption almost amounts to a certainty from the following curious facts, that ancient rolls are extant, laying down the formal preparations for the great feasts given at the respective enthronizations of Nevil, Archbishop of York, and of Wareham, Archbishop of Canterbury; and though minute directions are given for laying out the tables, and placing thereon the trenchers, the bread, the salt, &c., yet is there no mention of the knives, unless the great, and the small, knife for the carver alone; and again, that, in the engravings given in the 2nd volume of Strutt's " Manners, Customs, &c., of the Inhabitants of England,” E E (copied from Rous's illuminated "Life of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick,") there are three, in which the table is set out, and the guests are seated, (these are the 17th, 25th, and 26th,) yet at neither table do there appear more than two knives. Thus strong is the inference, that they (with the exception of the carving-knives) were of individual use; and it is thus no wonder, that they were presented to females on marriage. They are said to have been first made in England, in 1563, by Thomas Matthews, on Fleet Bridge, London; and, if so, we must conclude, that this bears reference to the set of common table-knives. As it was thus usual to bear, personally, the anelace, or whittle, for use at meals, so also have we reason to conclude, that the usage was the same, occasionally at least, as to the spoon. Henry, the Sixth, having taken refuge at Bolton Hall, Yorkshire, after the (to him) unfortunate Battle of Hexham, left at his departure, as a token of friendship for his host, his boot, glove, and spoon! Strange times were those, gentle reader, will you say, when even a King travelled with his spoon, and when the invited guest carried to the table of his friend those implements, which should enable him to partake of the feast! As to the invention of forks, singular, but yet most true it is, they are of modern introduction. In the preparation for the feasts (before spoken of) at the enthronization of the Archbishops, as directed in the ancient rolls, there is no mention of forks. On the tables set out for guests (also just observed) there is no appear ance of forks; and in the Act of the first of Richard, the Third, (passed to restrain the importation of numerous articles of hardware,) although knives be included, yet forks are omitted, (being an instrument then-non est inventus.) So much as to the negative evidence of their use; and in those early days (when the cheer before him was not meet for the spoon) man must have had recourse to his pointed anelace, or whittle— or--he must have practically proved, that (agreeably to the old adage) "fingers were made before forks." Indeed, in the 26th plate of the 2nd vol. of Strutt's "Manners and Customs, &c.," (before alluded to,) one of the guests at table is in the act of conveying to his mouth food by the aid of his fingers. I beg also to refer to the 2nd plate of Strutt's "Regal and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of England." This is one of a series of the Kings from the time of Edward, the Confessor, to that of Edward, the First, and is copied from an illuminated MS. of the time of the latter King. This plate represents a banquet given by Edward, the Confessor, to Goodwin, Earl of Kent, father to the Queen. In the explanatory words of Strutt, "The story here represented is an event of the most extraordinary nature-Edward with his Queen and Goodwin are at a banquet, which the King gave on Easter-day. Whilst they were at meat, the King accused Goodwin of being accessory to the murder of his brother, which he positively denied, solemnly wishing, that the morsel of meat, which he then put into his mouth, might suddenly strangle him, if he was not perfectly innocent. This egregious untruth drew down upon him the just judgment of God; for in attempting to swallow the meat, he was really choaked, and fell down dead that very instant." Here Earl Goodwin is stated as partaking of meat; and, in the engraving from the illuminated picture, he is represented as putting that meat into his mouth with his fingers. (18) This now unseemly, but, in the early ages, not uncommon, usage receives confirmation from Chaucer. This interesting poet was well acquainted with the manners, and customs, of his time, and the fullest reliance may be placed in the truth of those vivid pictures, which he has drawn in his " Canterbury Tales." He introduces a Nun-a Prioress, as one of the Pilgrims, and he makes her clearly, and expressly, thus to adopt this usage, so greatly at variance with the more refined ideas of the present day, and yet-we cannot but admire her peculiarly pleasing-and gentle-and cleanly deportment. The beautiful picture of this "ladye faire" is so well drawn, that I must present it at full length: indeed it is-a bijou: "Ther was also a Nonne, a Prioresse, That of hire smiling was ful simple and coy; * Hire gretest othe n'as but by Seint Eloy ; And she was cleped madame Eglentine. Ful wel she sange the service devine, And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly,† For Frenche of Paris was to her unknowe. * N'as, for ne was; was not. + Neatly, properly. |